Inspiring Thoughts On Practice Routine

ByDaniel Weiss

You know when I started playing there’s there was no really practice routine at the time I was just listening to music and really really being inspired by it transcribing everything I can by ear I didn’t even know Fury when I started so there was not really practice routine but I think that the one thing that I took it was very natural for me to to to create in my in my life is that I didn’t really need any motivation you know to practice it was something that I was so eager to wake up you know have my breakfast and get get to work with music that that passion uh kind of made a natural continuity of of things to evolve at my playing over the 20 years I’ve been playing

Current Practice Focus

um that said as you know as times went by um I I did find how I developed kind of like a self-awareness of what I I personally want to focus on and also you know as you get older you don’t have 10 hours a day like when you’re a kid so yeah so let me talk maybe a little bit about what I practice these days especially since these pandemic times there’s way much and there’s there’s much more time at home so uh for me personally right now my focus points um after you know going really intense into modern playing and fusion and stuff um I’ve made a decision for the next few months I’m really going deep into Bebop Freedom Rhythm changes uh Charlie Parker and also um balancing this with playing Bach cortitas and sonatas this book which is an amazing book and um the reason I’m I’m doing all of these Focus points with Bach and and and even transcribing Parker is because I really wanna get a deeper focus on my articulation something that I don’t think I ever really focused on you know um in a very methodical way um so that’s that’s very personal for me

Practice Routine

um another thing that I always keep in mind is if I’m practicing a few subjects I always have a main subject like you know for Me Maybe it can be transcribing Charlie Parker that can maybe take 60 minutes a day and I always then have smaller subjects so that can be maybe 20 minutes on this 20 minutes or another subject um maybe 20 minutes on the Block and I try to you know go through that and kind of like a structured way so maybe I can start with the Bach and then move on to to something you know smaller um take a break um and then do the other stuff

Personal Reflection

so yeah and um the thing is it’s very very personal and you know it really really changes from one person to another and I always try to find some time at the end of the practice to just immerse myself in the overall freedom of the music and and the the you know the spirit um so that can be maybe just you know just um after practicing and feeling warmed up maybe just you know playing a tune and trying to make it like it’s a live situation just actually playing and maybe um recording myself that actually has been really helpful um you know recording Snippets of myself playing sometimes uploading into Instagram just to feel you know the wave of sharing which is a big part of being a musician you know the community uh kind of like accountability sides of things

Advice from a Book

that’s a little bit around a round of that let me read some um cool notes from pal crook how to improvise which is a great book um well let’s see so he talks here at the beginning of the book about practicing the best advice I can offer about getting positive results for practicing is this spend a lot of time on a few topics every day or spend a little time on many different topics every day so spending a lot of time on a few topics every day um that kind of makes more sense to me but I did hear some you know some some players that I really appreciate that told me that they they have like three hour practice that is like built of 15 minutes chunks experiment with that maybe that’s good for you um and there’s much more over here he says um Clarity of mind while practicing has a direct bearing on how much you retain learn and improve that’s that also is is something that is worth mentioning that you know Clarity of mind um if you approach if you have an hour and or two hours you gotta find a way to really really focus so sometimes you know before I even start my routine I just play in one note on the guitar really go deep and just listen to that one note and try to make it as beautiful as I can maybe adding another note then kind of just warming the fingers up maybe you know approaching and playing some some type of scale just to really dive into the focus before I just you know really go intense into practice so that’s that’s something you know if you um if you practice and you’re in a rush or in a hurry you’re not really gonna get the results you’re after as if you are very focused and relaxed and immerse yourself in the bigger picture and the longer process and he even says something he quotes is then um is then Master said if you’re in a hurry and practice two hours a day it makes five years to learn something if you are in a hurry and practice five hours a day it may take 10 years to learn something and if you’re in a hurry and practice 10 hours a day you may never learn anything being in a hurry means your mind is in the future regardless of how much you practice you’ll never retain enough to learn something if your mind is not where the learning takes place in the present

Conclusion

so that was a quick quick wrap I don’t know if it was helpful for you please let me know in the comments wherever you’re watching this from and if it’s on YouTube make sure to subscribe and like if it’s on my website make sure to check out the other posts um and that was this topic and thanks for tuning in and I’ll see you next time

The “Ultimate Guitar Practice Routine” – Does it even exist?

What is a good practice routine?

Perhaps the most Important question a musician eager to improve could ask, right?

Let me answer this question by taking you back to when I first started playing guitar.

The Beginning:

When I started playing guitar I didn’t have a ‘practice routine’. At that time it was not a problem because I was so motivated to learn and transcribe my favorite musicians.
I could not wait to get up and go deeper into the styles and sounds that inspired me at the time. This constant flow of inspiration led me to a continuity that I strived for – day in day out!

The obsession was real and I didn’t even think about motivation or routines, I just went for it like a kid in a candy store.

I feel it Is important to mention that I really felt and still feel great appreciation and gratitude for every moment I have spent on the guitar! It is this gratitude I carry with me through my journey as a guitar player.

stay motivated

Recently:

These days, I have decided to once again dive deeper into the Bebop language by transcribing some ‘bird’ (a.k.a. Charlie Parker) and then just chillin’ it out with some beautiful Bach pieces, while always striving to articulate every note to sound just right. Although I have been aware of the depth of articulation as an entire study point I can’t recall focusing on it in such a vigorous manner as I have currently.

Practice routine on a more pragmatic note:

When reflecting on practice overall I like to think of segments: at least one hour for my main topic, then smaller 15-30 minute segments for other goals I wish to deepen and grow. Remember this: We all have unique approaches to how we learn and express ourselves yet we all share the same destination: Music Scales in Bach’s hands became sonata’s while Arpeggios in Charlie Parker’s hands became beautiful rhythmic, bop melodies.

Here Is a brief list of qualities a great practice contains (for me personally):

  • The Bigger purpose, the bigger picture.
  • Patience,
  • Realistic challenges are broken down into mini-goals.
  • Clarity, Focus, and Intention.

The fact I’m writing this article down right now makes me want to pick up my guitar! You see, I know the sensation of not practicing. It always makes me feel like an un-watered plant. If I haven’t practiced for a few days I will feel like something Is not right.

Stay hungry, Stay patient.

So no matter what I play, I always do my best to make each note of each phrase, scale, arpeggio, a single note, etc. sing as fully as I can this is the most important aspect of my practice routine.

A single note beautifully played can be the gateway to true self-expression, and with intention and presence can express truth and uniqueness. To listen to a note, to hear all the sonic qualities that the guitar has to offer around it. Simply put: to deepen the appreciation of the music at hand.

A zen master once said:

If you’re in a hurry and practice 2 hours a day it may take you 2 years to learn something.

If you’re in a hurry and practice 5 hours a day it may take you 5 years to learn something.

If you’re in a hurry and practice 10 hours a day you may never learn anything.

Being in a hurry means your mind is in the future, regardless of how much you practice you’ll never retain enough to learn something If your mind is not where the learning takes place.

Daniel Weiss